ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:To investigate transdermal behavior in vitro of total flavonoids and its monomer components in Guyu liniment. METHODS:Vertical Franz diffusion cell was adopted to perform a test on excised mouse skin as transdermal barrier. UV spectrophotometry was used to determine the content of total flavonoids,and HPLC to determine the content of monomer flavo-noid hydroxysafflor yellow A(HSYA)to observe transdermal absorption in vitro within 12 hours. RESULTS:The accumulative per-meation quantity Q of the total flavonoids and HSYA in Guyu liniment increased with time(t),demonstrating a significant correla-tion with t1/2,and transdermal absorption was in conformity with Higuchi equation (r=0.995 6,0.999 5);permeate flux of total flavonoids and HSYA were 126.24,47.516μg/(cm2·h). CONCLUSIONS:The transdermal behavior of total flavonoids in Guyu lin-iment is similar to that of HSYA. Both belong to matrix diffusion-type transdermal drug delivery system,with the characteristic of long-term sustained release.